Housing trust funds are powerful vehicles for advancing affordable housing solutions that are locally tailored, collaborative, and scalable. This workshop brings together leaders from five housing trusts spanning Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura Counties to highlight innovative approaches to governance, program design, and public-private funding. Panelists will share lessons learned from their unique organizational structures and strategies for leveraging resources not readily accessible to individual cities or developers. As more jurisdictions consider forming or expanding housing trusts, this session will offer replicable models, actionable policy insights, and advocacy opportunities to strengthen state-level support. Attendees will gain practical guidance on how trusts can unify cities, developers, and funding partners to accelerate the development of affordable homes throughout California.
This workshop will introduce conference attendees to regional housing trusts as a powerful tool for advancing affordable housing production. Attendees will learn how housing trusts can fill financing gaps, unlock funding not directly available to cities or developers, and support multi-jurisdictional collaboration. The session will explain how trusts are formed, governed, and offer real-world strategies to address concerns about regional equity and local investment. Panel discussion topics will include:
- How trusts can complement other funding sources like LIHTC and State programs.
- Collaboration strategies for nonprofit developers and local jurisdictions to obtain and deploy available funding.
- Guidance in the process of forming or joining a housing trust.
- Examples of successfully funded housing projects and programs and recommendations regarding project/program processes & structures.
